Press Release  Nine Individuals Indicted in Connection with a Large Scale Illegal Sports Betting Operation

Boston — Nine individuals have been indicted in connection with a large-scale illegal sports betting and money laundering operation in the Greater Boston area, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

The charges are the result of an extensive investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Special Service Section and the AG’s Gaming Enforcement Division into organized crime related to illegal gambling, money laundering and extortion in the area.

Lon Hillson Sr., age 74, and his son, Lonnie Hillson, Jr., age 55, both of Melrose, were indicted today by a Statewide Grand Jury on the charges of Organizing and Promoting Gambling, Registration of Bets, Use of the Phone for Gambling, Conspiracy to Register Bets, and Attempted Extortion. Hillson Sr. was indicted on two counts of the charges of Organizing and Promoting Gambling, Conspiracy to Register Bets, and Registration of Bets and one count of each the remaining charges and his son was indicted on one count of each of the charges.

Hillson Sr.’s wife, Marcia Hillson, age 72, and were also indicted on one count each of Registration of Bets, Use of the Phone for Gambling, and Conspiracy to Register Bets.

Dennis Willcox, age 43, of Everett, Anthony DiMare, age 57, of Medford, Donald Dimare, age 65, of Medford, John Whalen, age 52, of Medford, and Rocco Longo, age 45, of Revere, were each indicted on one count of Attempted Extortion.

 John Rothfuchs, age 62, of Boxborough and Paul Limone, age 58, of Medford was also indicted on one count each of Organizing and Promoting Gambling, Registration of Bets, Use of the Phone for Gambling, and Money Laundering.

The defendants will be arraigned on the charges at a later date in Middlesex Superior Court.

Authorities allege that the Hillsons’ were operating the illegal gambling operation out of their Melrose residences. They allegedly took illegal bets exclusively over the phone, while Wilcox, the Dimares, and Whalen assisted them in extorting money owed to them from bettors including from an undercover officer.

Rothfuchs was allegedly running a second large-scale gambling operation where he registered bets through an offshore online bookmaking website.

All of these charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Gina Masotta, of AG Healey’s Criminal Bureau, and Tom Caldwell, Deputy Chief of AG Healey’s Gaming Enforcement Division. The case was investigated by the Massachusetts State Police Special Service Section and Gaming Enforcement Division Investigator Krista Roche, with assistance from the AG’s State Police Detective Unit, the AGO's Digital Laboratory, the Middlesex County State Police Detective Unit, the State Police Technical Surveillance Unit, the Massachusetts State Police Troop A Community Action Team, Boston Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

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